Her small hands flit over my stomach. “I won’t let him. I’ll talk to him. Don’t let that be the thing that stops you from choosing me.”
I puff out a breath and attempt to draw out a beautiful smile from her. “I said your dad would want to, not that he’d succeed. I don’t have it in me to keep denying the pull I feel toward you. Jessi, what have you done to me?”
Her smile almost brings me to my knees. “The same thing you’ve done to me. Made you fall in?—”
The sound of shattering glass and splintering wood bellows from downstairs, followed by loud banging. I grab a pair of jeans and tug them on. I snatch my gun from my bedside drawer and tuck it into my waistband.
“Wait here,” I order.
I barrel down the stairs two at a time, with Jessi hot on my heels.Shit.
I spy Austin in the doorway. The doorframe is splintered, and glass covers the foyer. “You assholes broke my door? Get the fuck out of my house!” I yell.
Austin swings a bat at me. It hits a lamp, shattering it like confetti.
“Austin, stop!” Jessi screams. Two more guys follow behind Austin. I’m going to fucking kill these pieces of shit who think they can break into my house.
I try to tell Jessi that it’ll be okay, even though I don’t know if it will. They’re madder than hornets. “Stay inside and block this door, or better yet, go to my bathroom. Do not come out until I get you. If you hear them upstairs, call the police. For God’s sake, woman. Listen to me. Please?”
She mumbles, likely too scared to answer, but she retreats. Her sobs fuel my anger and need to end them all. No one makes my girl cry. They are here because of the revenge I took out on David. I will not let that bleed onto her.
“Your sister had nothing to do with what happened,” I tell Austin. “Leave her out of it. You can have me if you want, but we do this outside. Leave Jessi out of this.”
I willingly lead them away from her, into the garage. Too bad I closed the door after working on my bike. They push me down the step.
As I catch my balance and whirl around to face them, I hold up my hands.I may take a beating now to protect Jessi, but they will regret it. I can be patient when needed.
“Jack, no!” Jessi calls. She hovers in the kitchen, barely out of reach of Austin’s goons.
“Jessi, go upstairs!” I cry, begging her to listen.
When Austin takes the first swing, I don’t even try to defend myself. I allow the pain to fuel my rage. I can’t tell if blood is pouring from my nose or my mouth, but I can taste it. I give them a smile and hope it horrifies them.
Jessi screams, collapsing on the floor. “Stop! Austin! Stop this!”
“Jessi.” I cringe. “Go. Now. Lock. The. Door.”
Austin glowers. Red splatters his face, along with a triumphant glare that makes my blood run cold. I’ll be taking this beating for nothing if she doesn’t run. The last thing I want to do is murder Austin in front of her, but if he goes for her, that’s exactly what I’ll do. When he locks his eyes on me again, he swings a bat into my stomach. I fall to the concrete, unable to hold myself up any longer. The other men take turns kicking my back and sides.
Jessi clambers up and runs out, slamming into Austin. Austin pushes her to the ground and cackles, “You are fucking him, aren’t you? You cunt.”
I spit blood onto the concrete. “Don’t you dare touch her again.”
Jessi wears a pained expression as she ruefully gazes into my swollen face.
“Run,” I tell her. “Please, Jessi.”
Something catches Jessi’s attention. She grabs my gun. It skidded away from me at some point and lay near the step into the garage.Oh shit. No.
She points it right at her brother. “Leave Jack alone and get out of here before I shoot you.”
My girl is a fighter. Brave. But I can’t let her do something that could destroy her life. “Give the gun to me,” I tell Jessi.
Austin and his friends stop. All their hands are now up.
Austin sneers, his eyes locked on the gun in his sister’s hand. “Yeah, Jess. You are not going to use that thing. You don’t even know how.”
She smiles through her tears. “Do you want to find out? I will shoot all of you and call it self-defense if you don’tget out of here NOW!” Her voice cracks as the gun rattles in her hands.
